Sunday, August 15, 2010

Israel: Rabbi Yitzhak Shapira arrested for incitement to kill non-Jews.Arkansas: Pastor Joshua Wilson arrested in prostitution sting.New York: Convicted child molester Rabbi Baruch Leibovits demands and gets special kosher meals in prison.New York: Father Thomas Kresier resigns in embezzlement scandal.Virginia: Pastor James Bolton arrested for statutory rape.Ontario: Father Kenneth O'Keefe arrested for child molestation.British Columbia: Father Philip Jacobs arrested on numerous counts of child molestation.Ireland: Father Patrick McCabe arrested on numerous counts of child molestation. McCabe was transferred to the U.S. twenty years ago when the accusations first began.Ontario: Father William Marshall charged with numerous counts of child molestation. Marshall was principal at a Catholic high school.Pennsylvania: Diocese of Pittsburgh sued after molestation victim commits suicide.North Carolina: Father William Casey pleads guilty to child molestation.Illinois: Father Daniel McCormick sued by child molestation victim.Ohio: Pastor James Blaine pleads guilty to embezzling over $100K from his parishioners.

This Week's WinnerTexas: Pastor Randy Scott has been arrested for meeting young men online and forcing them into sex. Posing as a young man, Scott would exchange emails with his victims, then appear at their homes pretending to be the step-father of the person they thought they'd been corresponding with. Scott would then threaten to call the police unless the young men gave him oral sex. At least one of the victims is underage. Scott, who is married with children, has resigned from his church.

"When did the Creator indicate that among these rights was for homosexuals to have their unions recognized as marriages? The author of that declaration, Thomas Jefferson, equated homosexual acts with rape and wrote that male homosexuals (they used the term sodomites in that time) should be castrated and lesbians should have a hole cut into their noses.

"Undeniably, homosexuals have the same constitutional rights of free speech, peaceable assembly and trial by jury. But what the judge has done is declare the life choices and lifestyles of gays and lesbians to be equal to the life choice of married men and women. This is nothing but Walker's personal opinion.

"But he is declaring it to be the only rational conclusion that can be reached. And having reached it, he has seized upon a phrase in the 14th amendment, 'equal protection,' distorted its meaning and dictated that this means his view and his values henceforth are the law in California, the voters be damned.

"And what the judge dismisses and rejects as irrational is a conviction rooted in the history of the human race, biblical truth, natural law and basic common sense. For, in recent decades, male homosexuality has been linked to enteric diseases, hepatitis, AIDS and early death. Historically, from the late Roman Empire to Weimar, flagrant homosexuality has been associated with sick societies, decadent cultures and dying civilizations. Today would appear to be no exception." - Pat Buchanan, writing for the Christofascist site World Net Daily.

I am so grateful to live in a country that has a system of checks and balances... I appreciate the constitution more now than ever... People who are so worried about gays and lesbians ruining their marriage should focus on making their own marriages exemplary. I hope and pray that religious people take a look at themselves, themselves, many churches have welcomed glbt people with open arms, other religious groups Catholics, Mormons, and Baha'i's seek to exclude glbt from their membership and are behaving disgracefully. All sides have been tested, and to my mind the communities that are inclusive have taught us so much, and I am very grateful to them. If a religious community doesn't want glbt members so be it, you are free to exclude us. To those communities who are open, loving and inclusive... I say thank you!